What do the movies How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Prince & Me, Sweet Home Alabama, What Women Want, and The Bourne Series have in common? They were all produced back in the early 2000’s. In my mind, this doesn’t seem like very long ago, but in reality I know it was a whopping 20 years ago. I was in high school and living the teenage dream. Computers were large and clunky. Cellphone only did two things: phone calls and text messages. Social media wasn’t a thing yet. We were more connected and less fashionable. Teenagers went through awkward phases, and actors looked like normal people. And TV shows and movies weren’t always politically correct. My heart swoons just thinking about it.
I recently began re-watching some of these older movies. It all started out of boredom, really. I was scrolling (as we all do) to find something to watch in the endless list of options that are now available at our fingertips because of streaming services like Hulu, Prime, Disney+, Starz, HBO, etc. It may seem crazy, but I sometimes miss the days when the only options were the ones listed on my TV Guide. Nowadays, I get stuck scrolling. Everything seems okay… but just okay. Then one day I stumbled upon the Peacock App (which is NBC). It was free to watch and had a sections of older movies. I felt a rush of nostalgia as I watched The Notebook, Bring It On, and started re-watching the TV series Parenthood.
Since then, I have been on a mission to find and watch all older shows. I have been searching for them in all my subscription channels and even borrowing some from the library. I have never needed the latest and greatest when it comes to technology or show selections, but I hadn’t considered that my scrolling solution could be solved by looking backwards.
In addition to being thoroughly entertained, while re-watching these older movies I often find myself remembering. I remember a time when I wasn’t glued to my phone as a form of escape and source of entertainment. I remember a time when I looked awkward, but it was okay; normal even. I remember a time when I would roll the windows down in the car and blast my music, just because I could. I remember summer days at the lake and nights hanging out with my friends. Re-watching these older movies has brought with it a sort of peace and a reminder of how things used to be. That makes me sound old… but it’s true. Sometimes I wish life wasn’t so information-driven; that it was less about perfection and more about connection. I have been trying to make some changes lately to get back certain aspects of my former-self, and re-watching these movies is what started it all. So now if you see me walking around town wearing gaucho pants, you’ll know why!
Have you found yourself down a nostalgia rabbit hole? Let me know if you have suggestions of more TV shows/movies I should be watching!
